Sasuke's sudden improvement in strength came from his Sharingan copying Xiao Li's taijutsu.
That incredible speed left Gaara completely unable to react.
When Gaara sent his sand forward to strike, Sasuke accelerated in an instant—his body blurring into a black afterimage. In the next moment, he appeared behind Gaara.
His fist crashed hard against Gaara's face.
Gaara was sent flying.
The battle had barely lasted a minute, and Gaara had already taken a direct hit.
Outside the arena, Kankurō and Temari were both shocked.
But the one most shaken was Xiao Li.
His injuries still hadn't healed, yet his wide eyes stared blankly at Sasuke below.
To achieve such speed, Xiao Li had endured unimaginable effort and suffering. Yet Sasuke had already reached it—and surpassed him—in such a short time.
"Is this… what a true genius is?"
Sasuke, after landing his blow, raised his head and looked toward Yuichi. His eyes seemed to ask: "Do you see my strength now?"
Yuichi only gave a faint smile in response.
That smile made Sasuke's chest burn with irritation. What he wanted to see was Yuichi's surprise and acknowledgment—not this calm, dismissive grin.
"Just wait… I'll open your eyes soon enough."
Turning back, Sasuke locked onto Gaara again.
Yuichi watched the two on the field carefully, though his peripheral vision scanned the entire exam hall.
Most of these faces I recognize. The rest are just ordinary Konoha shinobi and Anbu… but their numbers have increased.
The Third Hokage must have already guessed something about the Chūnin Exams.
The sheer number of Konoha shinobi and Anbu here wasn't coincidence. With so many gathered in this venue, it would be difficult for Sunagakure to attack the village in the same way as in the original timeline.
Still…
Orochimaru had arrived. That meant the invasion plan would surely begin regardless—though the details might change.
Right now, Gaara had been forced into battle earlier than expected, and Sasuke was driving him back.
That meant Yuichi had to prepare his own moves in advance.
He folded his arms across his chest.
The gesture was casual, but the moment Yuichi did so, one audience member suddenly grew tense and hurried off toward the restroom.
—
Meanwhile, outside the Third Hokage's residence…
Several dark figures flickered through the alley.
The guards stationed there were fewer than usual.
"Something isn't right. I can sense trouble brewing in the village, yet they've reduced security here? Strange."
"But the message from the main body was clear—our operation starts now."
"Even if it does, by the time it's done, we'll be gone."
"Then… where's the Book of Seals?"
"That's for the main body to decide."
From the shadows, a Wood Style clone glanced at its Shadow Clone partner.
The Shadow Clone gave a sharp nod. "Understood."
Bang!
The Shadow Clone vanished.
—
Yuichi, still watching the fight, suddenly felt the returning memories of that clone.
The Hokage's residence… the guard detail is thinning? I should've realized sooner.
His eyes narrowed slightly as they shifted toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Good thing he hadn't sent in a Wood Style clone immediately—otherwise, it would've been caught for sure.
The Book of Seals was something Yuichi had to obtain.
Even if self-taught ninjutsu could never compare to the techniques gained through his system, the Book was too valuable. If his main plan somehow failed, securing the Sealed Techniques would still be a worthy prize.
The one jutsu Yuichi longed for most… Edo Tensei, the Reanimation Jutsu.
If he summoned someone from the dead—would it trigger a character development line?
That question gnawed at him.
But where is the Book of Seals now?
Yuichi's thoughts raced even as the fight below grew more intense.
Gaara's sand was falling behind Sasuke's relentless speed. His armor was peeling away, fragment by fragment.
At this rate, Gaara would be defeated.
But then—Gaara suddenly formed hand seals.
The surrounding sand surged up, shaping into a massive sphere that completely encased him.
Sasuke sneered. "So you'll just hide inside your shell? Is this all the pride of Sunagakure amounts to?"
He charged forward, fist raised, striking at the sand sphere.
But the sand reacted instantly, forming into sharp spikes that thrust outward like spears.
Sasuke barely managed to halt his attack and leap back, dodging the strike.
Yuichi exhaled slowly. Time is running out.
The Book of Seals… it must be hidden somewhere unreachable.
But then—his eyes sharpened.
Wait. Not unreachable. Simply… under the safest protection.
There was only one answer.
Wherever Sarutobi is… that's where the Book of Seals will be.
The Hokage must have realized the danger looming over the Chūnin Exams. That's why he'd fortified security here, at the arena itself.
With so many shinobi gathered, this was now the most heavily guarded place in Konoha. And Sarutobi himself was present. Surely he believed that together, they could protect anything—even the Book of Seals.
Yuichi's fist clenched tightly.
That meant all the Wood Style clones and Shadow Clones he had deployed outside the Hokage's house… had been wasted.
Slowly, he lowered his hands.
A Wood Style clone sitting among the audience noticed the signal. Rising, it slipped quietly out of the stands.
A few sharp-eyed shinobi caught the strange behavior, but the clone's orders were clear: abandon the old plan.
—
Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
Suddenly, thunder roared across the arena.
The high-pitched cries of countless birds echoed in the air.
Every Konoha shinobi's gaze turned instantly toward Sasuke.
"This is…!"
"That's Hatake Kakashi's technique—Chidori!"
"The Uchiha boy… actually mastered it?"
Blue lightning crackled, the sound of a thousand birds screaming as the arena lit up.
Sasuke's eyes gleamed. "Yuichi! Watch closely! I'll finish this Gaara here and now!"
He leapt forward, lightning bursting behind him, body like a thunderbolt descending from the heavens—straight toward Gaara's sand sphere!